Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Regal Reptiles Birthday Parties

Last weekend, we had a birthday party for my oldest daughter, who turns seven on Christmas Day. She's not your typically little girly girl, as she prefers sports, video games and all things slimy. Her #1 want for Christmas or her birthday was a turtle. If not a turtle, then frogs. We said no turtles and while we were prepared to get her a kit where you grow your own tadpoles, they can't ship until nighttime temps are above 25 degrees. Living in New England, that's going to be awhile.

Having a December birthday is tough. Tough in finding something to do that won't cost a ton of money and that will equally entertain a group of kids. It was never our intention to actually host any of her school parties at the house, but this year, it was so easy. We hosted a reptile party with Regal Reptiles. Based out of Warwick, RI, it wasn't to far of a drive to have them come to us. Shawn, our presenter, was absolutely amazing!

He started off with showing us a herbivore. Speedy the tortoise was our first visitor. Einey, the birthday girl, go to bring Speedy around to all the kids. After that, Speedy took up residence on the floor. After that, Shawn had Einey as his personal assistant. He asked if anyone knew what a carnivore was. He told us his next reptile was a carnivore and then asked Einey to hold out her hand. (Of course, people are made out of meat). He then handed Einey Boogers the Tree Frog. Of course, the kids got a kick out of that. After Boogers, came a gecko, a legless lizard, snake, scorpion (which made many people flinch), tarantula, bearded dragon, another snake, a python and an alligator. In addition to explaining a little bit about each creature, the children were allowed to touch, and hold (if they wanted to) each animal. Shawn's style of presentation was injected with numerous comic references, which made everyone laugh. Einey, surprised us by showing no fear whatsoever with reaching into cloth bags to pull out whatever creature was inside.

The cost, $150 for an hour (if they come to you) plus travel, was well worth it. According to the website, they bring 20-25 animals. We only saw 12, but it filled up the whole allotted time. We had a total of 21 kids and 15 adults who were willing to watch the presentation. A few opted to stay upstairs for it.

It was, by far, the best party we've ever hosted and one of the best we've ever been to. Everyone seemed to have had a great time. And the birthday girl could not stop smiling. I haven't seen her smile so big in a long, long time.

If your in the eastern CT, RI, eastern MA area, I would highly recommend giving them a call if your looking for something for your next party. They also have an option, where you can visit their facility in Warwick (their website still says Providence, however they moved to a larger facility over the summer. The new directions are linked on their site) as opposed to having them come to you.

(This post was a not a paid review).

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Mom Central's 2008 Gift Guide

If you've been online lately, I'm sure you've seen gift guides pop up from many, many different sites. I've looked at a few, but to be honest, they were hard to navigate and I just don't have the time to click on every link listed.

The ladies at Mom Central have just released their 2008 gift guide and I was quickly thrilled with the ease of use. From the instant it opens, you have choices of him, her, baby/toddler, kids, tweens, teens, pets and even giveaways. That's right, giveaways! Starting today, December 3rd and running through December 18th, they are giving something new away each day. You have to have a mom central account, log-in each day and leave a comment to be eligible to win.

The guide is easy once you choose which area suits you best. Once you click on an area, say tweens, it opens up and gives you a list of items. Each item also has a picture, description and link to the product's website. And it's not just name brand items from companies such as Hasbro, Little Tykes or Baby Einstein. There are products from Juku Couture, Olive kids and many, many other companies. Many of the descriptions are also linked right to amazon.com or Toys R Us for easy ordering. Another plus is the items are separated out by price, if your on a budget. There are three separate price ranges for under $50, under $100 and over $100.

So if you can't find that perfect gift for that hard to buy for person in your life, take a trip over to Mom Central and check out their holiday gift guide. It is easy to use and full of many wonderful products!